Interactive dns for non-controlling party

ABSTRACT

A Hosting Entity or another entity may provide a framework for collecting DNS Business Information from a Non-Controlling Party of a domain name and entering it into DNS. The framework may include a website, webpage, web service, web resource, software, API, or another technological solution suitable for collecting DNS Business Information from Non-Controlling Party. The website, webpage, web service, or the web resource may be located at URL associated with a Controlling Party&#39;s domain name, e.g. an active or a parked page for the domain name. DNS Business Information will be typically available for viewing to everyone along with the traditional DNS information.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, “INTERACTIVE WHOIS” concurrently filed herewith and alsoassigned to The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

This patent application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.______, “INTERACTIVE DNS FOR CONTROLLING PARTY” concurrently filedherewith and also assigned to The Go Daddy Group, Inc.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to new systems and methods for theextension of DNS functionality.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The Internet comprises a vast number of computers and computer networksthat are interconnected through communication links. The interconnectedcomputers exchange information using various services, such aselectronic mail and the World Wide Web (WWW). The WWW service allows aserver computer system (i.e., web server or website) to send textual andgraphical webpages of information to a remote client computer system.The remote client computer system can then display the webpages. Eachresource (e.g., computer or webpage) of the WWW is uniquely identifiableby a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). To view a specific webpage, aclient computer system specifies the URL for the webpage in a request(e.g., a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP) request). These follow thefamiliar format http://www.example.com uniquely identifying theparticular resource. The request is forwarded to the web server thatserves the webpage to the client computer system. When the clientcomputer system receives the webpage, it typically displays the webpageusing a browser. A browser is a special-purpose application program thatrequests and displays the webpages.

WHOIS is a TCP-based (Transmission Control Protocol)transaction-oriented query/response protocol that is used to provideinformation services to Internet users. While originally used to provide“white pages” services and information about registered domain names,current deployments cover a much broader range of information services.The protocol delivers its content in a human-readable format. A sampleWHOIS printout is shown in FIG. 1.

A WHOIS server listens on TCP port 43 for requests from WHOIS clients.The WHOIS client makes a text request to the WHOIS server, then theWHOIS server replies with text content. All requests are terminated withASCII CR and then ASCII LF. The response might contain more than oneline of text, so the presence of ASCII CR or ASCII LF characters doesnot indicate the end of the response. The WHOIS server closes itsconnection as soon as the output is finished. The closed TCP connectionis the indication to the client that the response has been received.

For historical reasons, WHOIS lacks many of the modern protocol designattributes, for example internationalization and strong security. TheWHOIS protocol has no mechanism for indicating the character set in use.Originally, the predominant text encoding in use was US-ASCII. Inpractice, some WHOIS servers, particularly those outside the USA, mightbe using some other character set either for requests, replies, or both.This inability to predict or express text encoding has adverselyimpacted the interoperability (and, therefore, usefulness) of the WHOISprotocol.

The WHOIS protocol has no provisions for strong security. WHOIS lacksmechanisms for access control, integrity, and confidentiality.Accordingly, WHOIS-based services are used for information which isnon-sensitive and intended to be accessible to everyone.

The domain name system (DNS) is the world's largest distributedcomputing system that enables access to any resource in the Internet bytranslating user-friendly domain names to IP Addresses. The process oftranslating domain names to IP Addresses is called Name Resolution. ADNS name resolution is the first step in the majority of Internettransactions. The DNS is in fact a client-server system that providesthis name resolution service through a family of servers called DomainName Servers. The hierarchical domain space is divided intoadministrative units called zones. A zone usually consists of a domain(say example.com) and possibly one or more sub domains(projects.example.com, services.example.com). The authoritative dataneeded for performing the name resolution service is contained in a filecalled the zone file and the DNS servers hosting this file are calledthe authoritative name servers for that zone. The DNS clients that makeuse of the services provided by authoritative name servers may be of twotypes. One type is called a stub resolver that formulates and sends aquery every time it receives a request from an application that requiresInternet service (e.g., a browser). The other type is called a caching(also called recursive/resolving) name server that caches the nameresolution responses it has obtained from the authoritative name serversand is thus able to serve multiple stub resolvers.

The zone file hosted on an authoritative name server consists of varioustypes of records called Resource Records (RRs). A type (RRtype) isassociated with each DNS resource record. The code for these RRtypes isassigned by an international organization called Internet Assigned NamesAuthority (IANA). An RR of a given RRtype in a zone file provides aspecific type of information. Some of the common RRtype codes are: NS,MX, CNAME, and A. An NS RR in a zone file gives the fully qualifieddomain name (FQDN) of the host that is considered the name server forthat zone. For example, an NS RR in the zone file of the zoneexample.com may give the information that the host ns1.projects.example.com is a name server for the domainprojects.example.com. Similarly an MX RR gives the host name for a mailserver for the zone. An A RR gives the IP address for a host in a domainwithin the zone. CNAME provides “canonical name” records and mapping ofnames in the zone file. A zone file generally consists of multiple RRsof a given RRtype with some exceptions (e.g., there can be only SOA RRin a zone file). It can also have multiple RRs for the same domain nameand same (or different) RRtype (e.g., multiple name servers or mailservers for a domain services.example.com). A sample DNS zone fileprintout is shown in FIG. 2.

The DNS infrastructure consists of many different types of DNS servers,DNS clients, and transactions between these entities. The most importanttransaction in DNS is the one that provides the core service of DNS(i.e., name resolution service) and is called the DNS Query/Response. ADNS Query/Response transaction is made up of a query originating from aDNS client (generically called a DNS resolver) and response from a DNSname server. The response consists of one or more RRs. These RRs may beserved from its own zone file (for an authoritative name server) or froma cache of RRs obtained from other name servers (for acaching/resolving/recursive name servers). In this way, the DNS servesas a global, distributed database. Name servers (serving zone files)each contain a small portion of the global domain space, and clientsissue queries using a domain name and a desired RRtype.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a sample prior art printout of WHOIS data.

FIG. 2 is a sample prior art printout of DNS zone file data.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a sample embodiment of a systemof the present invention using WHOIS.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a sample embodiment of a systemof the present invention using DNS.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a sample embodiment of a systemof the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a sample embodiment of a process forcollecting Business Information from Controlling Party and entering itinto WHOIS.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a sample embodiment of a process forcollecting Business Information from Non-Controlling Party and enteringit into WHOIS.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a sample embodiment of a process forcollecting Business Information from Controlling Party and entering itinto DNS.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a sample embodiment of a process forcollecting Business Information from Non-Controlling Party and enteringit into DNS.

FIG. 10 is a sample printout of WHOIS data with Business Information.

FIG. 11 is a sample printout of DNS zone file data with BusinessInformation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 3, a Controlling Party 305 and a Non-Controlling Party320 may have a read-only or read-and-write access to the WHOIS records315 for reading or entering a WHOIS Business Information. TheControlling Party 305 is an individual, an organization, or anotherentity that has control over a domain name and subsequently the WHOISrecords 315 for the domain name. The Controlling Party 305 is typicallyan owner, a Registrant, an administrator, or a record holder for thedomain name, or an entity otherwise responsible for maintaining thedomain name. The Non-Controlling Party 320 is an individual, anorganization, or another entity that does not have control over thedomain name and the WHOIS records 315. The WHOIS records 315 aremaintained by a Registering Entity 310, such as a Registry, a Registrar,or a Reseller of a Registry or a Registrar.

The WHOIS Business Information is information currently not present inthe WHOIS records. The WHOIS Business Information does not includeinformation used for technical operation of the domain name, resolutionof the domain name through domain servers, registry status of the domainname, reputation information, nor Registrant's, administrative,technical, and/or billing contact information. The WHOIS BusinessInformation may include comments posted by the Controlling Party 305 andthe Non-Controlling Party 320 (see 1005 in FIG. 10), products for sale(see 1010 in FIG. 10), or any other information, discussion, etc. notcurrently saved in the WHOIS.

Referring to FIG. 6, the Registering Entity 310 or another entity mayprovide a framework for collecting the WHOIS Business Information fromthe Controlling Party 305 and entering it into the WHOIS (step 605). Theframework may include a website, a webpage, a web service, a webresource, a software, an API (application programming interface), oranother technological solution suitable for collecting the WHOISBusiness Information from the Controlling Party 305. The website,webpage, web service, or the web resource may be located at a URLassociated with the Controlling Party's domain name, at a URL associatedwith the Registering Entity 310, at a URL showing WHOIS information forthe domain name, at a URL showing DNS information for the domain name,at a URL showing business registration information for the domain name,etc. The webpage may be a static page, a dynamic page, an active page,or a parked page for the domain name. The framework does not includecontrol panels that are used for entering traditional information intothe WHOIS. The WHOIS Business Information may be collected from theControlling Party 305 (step 610) and entered into the WHOIS (step 615).The WHOIS Business Information will be typically available for viewingto everyone along with the traditional WHOIS information.

Referring to FIG. 7, the Registering Entity 310 or another entity mayprovide a framework for collecting the WHOIS Business Information fromthe Non-Controlling Party 320 and entering it into the WHOIS (step 705).The framework may include a website, a webpage, a web service, a webresource, a software, an API (application programming interface), oranother technological solution suitable for collecting the WHOISBusiness Information from the Non-Controlling Party 320. The website,webpage, web service, or the web resource may be located at a URLassociated with the Controlling Party's domain name, at a URL associatedwith the Registering Entity 310, at a URL showing WHOIS information forthe domain name, at a URL showing DNS information for the domain name,at a URL showing business registration information for the domain name,etc. The webpage may be a static page, a dynamic page, an active page,or a parked page for the domain name. The framework does not includecontrol panels that are used for entering traditional information intothe WHOIS. The WHOIS Business Information may be collected from theNon-Controlling Party 320 (step 710) and entered into the WHOIS (step715). The WHOIS Business Information will be typically available forviewing to everyone along with the traditional WHOIS information.

For example, the Non-Controlling Party 320 may ask “How much is thisdomain name?” and the Controlling Party 305 may reply “This domain isnot for sale.” (See 1005 in FIG. 10). The WHOIS Business Information maybe saved in the WHOIS as text, as character-separated (delimited) text,as fixed width columns text, as markup language formatted text, or inany other form. The markup language formatted text may include HTML,XML, or any other markup language. The Registering Entity 310 may imposefurther limitations on which tags can be used in the markup language;e.g. scripts can be prohibited. Additionally a link, an image, a banner,or any other multimedia information may be saved into the WHOIS.Involved parties may also participate in a link exchange and/or a bannerexchange.

Referring to FIG. 4, a Controlling Party 305 and a Non-Controlling Party320 may have a read-only or read-and-write access to the DNS records 415for reading or entering a DNS Business Information. The ControllingParty 305 is an individual, an organization, or another entity that hascontrol over a domain name and subsequently the DNS records 415 for thedomain name. The Controlling Party 305 is typically an owner, aRegistrant, an administrator, or a record holder for the domain name ora website associated with the domain name, or an entity otherwiseresponsible for maintaining the domain name or the website. TheNon-Controlling Party 320 is an individual, an organization, or anotherentity that does not have control over the domain name and the DNSrecords 415. The DNS records 415 are maintained by a Hosting Entity 410,such as a Registry, a Registrar, a Hosting Company, or a Reseller of aRegistry, a Registrar, or a Hosting Company. The Hosting Entity 410typically hosts a website, a webpage, an email address, a DNS record, oranother network related service, resource, or document (or pluralitythereof) associated with the domain name.

The DNS Business Information is information currently not present in theDNS records. The DNS Business Information does not include informationused for technical operation of the domain name, resolution of thedomain name through domain servers, nor reputation information. The DNSBusiness Information may include information about the business, hoursof operation (see 1110 in FIG. 11), maps and directions, products forsale, comments posted by the Controlling Party 305 and theNon-Controlling Party 320 (see 1105 and 1115 in FIG. 11), or any otherinformation, discussion, etc. not currently saved in the DNS.

Referring to FIG. 8, the Hosting Entity 410 or another entity mayprovide a framework for collecting the DNS Business Information from theControlling Party 305 and entering it into the DNS (step 805). Theframework may include a website, a webpage, a web service, a webresource, a software, an API (application programming interface), oranother technological solution suitable for collecting the DNS BusinessInformation from the Controlling Party 305. The website, webpage, webservice, or the web resource may be located at a URL associated with theControlling Party's domain name, at a URL associated with the HostingEntity 410, at a URL showing WHOIS information for the domain name, at aURL showing DNS information for the domain name, at a URL showingbusiness registration information for the domain name, etc. The webpagemay be a static page, a dynamic page, an active page, or a parked pagefor the domain name. The framework does not include control panels thatare used for entering traditional information into the DNS. The DNSBusiness Information may be collected from the Controlling Party 305(step 810) and entered into the DNS (step 815). The DNS BusinessInformation will be typically available for viewing to everyone alongwith the traditional DNS information.

Referring to FIG. 9, the Hosting Entity 410 or another entity mayprovide a framework for collecting the DNS Business Information from theNon-Controlling Party 320 and entering it into the DNS (step 905). Theframework may include a website, a webpage, a web service, a webresource, a software, an API (application programming interface), oranother technological solution suitable for collecting the DNS BusinessInformation from the Non-Controlling Party 320. The website, webpage,web service, or the web resource may be located at a URL associated withthe Controlling Party's domain name, at a URL associated with theHosting Entity 410, at a URL showing WHOIS information for the domainname, at a URL showing DNS information for the domain name, at a URLshowing business registration information for the domain name, etc. Thewebpage may be a static page, a dynamic page, an active page, or aparked page for the domain name. The framework does not include controlpanels that are used for entering traditional information into the DNS.The DNS Business Information may be collected from the Non-ControllingParty 320 (step 910) and entered into the DNS (step 915). The DNSBusiness Information will be typically available for viewing to everyonealong with the traditional DNS information.

For example, the Controlling Party 305 may post a comment “This Domainis for sale. Price: $350.” (See 1105 in FIG. 11). The Non-ControllingParty 320 may ask “Who should I contact about the purchase of thisdomain?” (See 1115 in FIG. 11). The DNS Business Information may besaved in TXT field in the DNS records or any other field. The DNSBusiness Information may be saved in the DNS as text, ascharacter-separated (delimited) text, as fixed width columns text, asmarkup language formatted text, or in any other form. The markuplanguage formatted text may include HTML, XML, or any other markuplanguage. The Hosting Entity 410 may impose further limitations on whichtags can be used in the markup language; e.g. scripts can be prohibited.Additionally a link, an image, a banner, or any other multimediainformation may be saved into the DNS. Involved parties may alsoparticipate in a link exchange and/or a banner exchange.

Additional information on DNS and its records may be found atMockapetris, RFC1035, Domain Names—Implementation and Specification,November 1987 and Rosenbaum, RFC 1464, Using the Domain Name System ToStore Arbitrary String Attributes, May 1993, which are both herebyincorporated in their entirety by reference.

In an alternative embodiment, one or more records posted in WHOIS andDNS may be private, and therefore, available only to the ControllingParty 305 or one or more selected Non-Controlling Parties.

Referring to FIG. 5, access to the WHOIS 315 and the DNS 415 by theControlling Party 305 and the Non-Controlling Party 320 is performed viaa Network 510, such as the Internet. Often technological means used bythe Controlling Party 305 and the Non-Controlling Party 320 to accessthe WHOIS 315 and the DNS 415 don't connect to the Registering Entity310 and the Hosting Entity 410 directly, but rather use standardizednetwork protocols for access and data exchange.

Further, the elements from the above described systems may be combinedin a single system and the steps from the above described methods may becombined in a single method. The methods described above can beperformed manually, partially automated, or fully automated.

The above-described embodiments have been provided by way of example,and the present invention is not limited to these examples. Multiplevariations and modification to the disclosed embodiments will occur, tothe extent not mutually exclusive, to those skilled in the art uponconsideration of the foregoing description. Such variations andmodifications, however, fall well within the scope of the presentinvention as set forth in the following claims.

The Abstract accompanying this specification is provided to enable theUnited States Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally todetermine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and gist of thetechnical disclosure and is in no way intended for defining,determining, or limiting the present invention or any of itsembodiments.

The invention claimed is:

1. A method, comprising the steps of: a) providing a framework forcollecting a DNS Business Information from a Non-Controlling Party of adomain name, b) collecting said DNS Business Information from saidNon-Controlling Party, and c) entering said DNS Business Informationinto a DNS of said domain name.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein saidframework is a website.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein said frameworkis a webpage.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein said framework is a webservice.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein said framework is located ata URL associated with said domain name.
 6. The method of claim 1,wherein said framework is a parked page for said domain name.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein said steps a), b) and c) are performed by aRegistry.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps a), b) and c) areperformed by a Registrar.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein said stepsa), b) and c) are performed by a Hosting Provider.
 10. The method ofclaim 1, wherein said DNS Business Information, at least in part, is anHTML formatted text.
 11. The method of claim 1, wherein said DNSBusiness Information, at least in part, is an XML formatted text. 12.The method of claim 1, wherein said DNS Business Information is enteredinto a TXT field of said DNS.
 13. A method, comprising the steps of: a)providing a framework for collecting a DNS Business Information from acontrolling Party of a domain name and a Non-Controlling Party of saiddomain name, b) collecting a First DNS Business Information from saidControlling Party, c) entering said First DNS Business Information intoa DNS of said domain name, d) collecting a Second DNS BusinessInformation from said Non-Controlling Party, and e) entering said SecondDNS Business Information into said DNS of said domain name.
 14. Amethod, comprising the steps of: a) providing a website for collecting aDNS Business Information in an XML format from a Controlling Party of adomain name and a Non-Controlling Party of said domain name, b)collecting a First DNS Business Information in said XML format from saidControlling Party, c) entering said First DNS Business Information intoa DNS of said domain name, d) collecting a Second DNS BusinessInformation in said XML format from said Non-Controlling Party, and e)entering said Second DNS Business Information into said DNS of saiddomain name.